"Political language -- and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists -- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
-- George Orwell, Politics and the English Language

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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Nazi Punks Fuck Off

Roy unearths yet another conservatard tuber who wants to chuck Hitler grenades and then run from the blast radius. Personally, I'm fairly squeamish at any expression of potential mob mentality or groupthink, whether it's a political rally or a megachurch -- either way it's usually twenty-thousand blissfully unconscious assholes who drove there in SUVs with "Earth First" stickers on the never-used tow-bar, to express in unison their love for this or that icon. Hell, it's why I don't see rock bands or sports events in large arenas anymore, to be honest. It creeps me the fuck out, regardless of whether I personally like the team/band/political message. It's unnecessary; it's the antithesis of critical thinking.

But that is a different matter altogether than these puling little assholes trotting out their Triumph of the Will comparisons and their Hitler smiley-faces and such, and then backing away, lamely muttering, "Well uh, heh, see, we're not saying that you guys are, like, Nazis or anything, it's just that Hitler liked organic food and the environment, you know."

No, I don't know, you dumb motherfuckers, and if you're going to have the goddamned nerve to keep up with this shit, at least have the fucking balls to own it. Whatever nasty little scuds I launch at the people who are ruining this country, you can bet I fucking well mean it. Which is why I've never used that particular n-word on them, and probably never will. Some of us still have enough respect for the English language to not pull cheap imagery out of our asses, put it on the shelf, and tell everyone it's a nice collectible, when we can all see perfectly well what it is.

4 comments:

Marius
said...

I kinda feel the same about stadiums and large-scale rock concerts, Heywood, but doesn't that mean primarily that we're just getting old? I mean, was there ever the idea (in going to a concert/ball game) to be able to think critically? If it was, maybe I just never realized that.

A certain brand of conservatism wants to make the point that such events were never supposed to be about rational exercise of anything in the first place. Rather, they affirm and test an individual's willingness to be irrational sometimes, as a sign and bond that one is willing, for instance, to be irrational when it matters--e.g., in going to war for one's country: "My country, right or wrong," as the English say.

I'm just saying. Me, I never got the thrill for large stadiums. A concert in a bar is a different thing. Besides, I suck at sports.

Yeah, maybe I am just getting older and crankier. And of course no one goes to a concert or ball game to think, but I always did go to at least wanting to see a good show or game, and not just holler my brains out or chant in unison. Maybe it's because when I went to concerts a lot, I was playing in bands, and felt that competitive urge, to see if I could pull off what the major leaguers were doing.

But you're right, it may also just be an instinctive level of discomfort with large, unruly crowds. Some good memories there on some concerts and games in the past, but no real desire to repeat the experience anymore.

That's one cool thing about this area -- there are a few good small venues, and some very good promoters who have brought some bigger acts in to play these smaller rooms. There's nothing like seeing a stadium-level band tear it up in a club.

I think the small/large venue difference has a bit to do with the artist/performer difference. I saw Leon Russell when he was just talented, then when he was famous. In the first instance he was willing to show his imperfections and share his humanity, in the second he was "on stage." As an athlete, I noticed that the larger the crowd, the more "serious" the contest became. The fun, it is a game, seemed to disappear.

In politics one notices that, in larger venues, the appeal becomes more emotional than rational, lowest common denominator and all that. TV, of course, plays to the lowest register in that denominator.